To forgive is not to forget. The merit lies in loving in spite of the vivid knowledge that one that must be loved is not a friend. There is not merit in loving an enemy when you forget him for a friend.
Mahatma GandhiRead
If we were to drive out the English with the weapons with which they enslaved us, our slavery would still be with us even when they have gone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True liberation comes from within and is not merely the absence of oppressors.
Mahatma Gandhi's quote emphasizes that overcoming external oppression is not enough for true freedom; one must also address and eliminate the internal cycles of hatred and conflict that keep individuals in a state of slavery. It suggests that if we respond to violence and oppression with the same tools, we perpetuate a cycle of enmity and never achieve genuine liberation, highlighting the importance of moral and ethical conduct in the struggle for freedom.
Themes
FreedomOppressionPeaceNonviolenceLiberation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a speech about the importance of nonviolent resistance in social movements.
More from Mahatma Gandhi
All quotes βLove never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents never revenges itself.
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Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
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The real test of nonviolence lies in its being brought in contact with those who have contempt for it.
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Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
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The devotion of such titans of spirit as Lenin to an Ideal must bear fruit. The nobility of his selflessness will be an example through centuries to come, and his Ideal will reach perfection.
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